White Day
by Steel Anjel
Summary: "He looked down at his list. Eight! Eight lovely young women had graced him with gifts. He felt quite honored."


He stepped into the massive atrium and wondered how in the world he was going to start. The walls and windows were fiercely ornamented with all assortments of white décor. White lace, white wallpaper, white clothing, white-uniform-wearing employees.

'_White Day_…'

He looked around, hoping to find the type of store for which he was looking. Luckily, he didn't have to look far. Undoubtedly, this particular type of store had the biggest signs.

"Welcome!" A perky employee greeted him.

"Thanks!" he spoke back.

He looked down at his list. Eight! Eight lovely young women had graced him with gifts. He felt quite honored.

* * *

_~ Momo ~_

"Rito-san. This is yours." She held out the small box in both hands, hopeful that he would accept.

"Wow, for me? Momo, thank you!" He took the box from her hands with a huge smile on his face.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed. She half-expected him to ask if it had aphrodisiacs in it, though she wouldn't blame him. Still, this time was different. She felt less… desperate. She knew that he wouldn't reject. Moreover, she felt his feelings were on the move. To where, it was hard to tell. But this was what she wanted.

"Of course, Rito-san! I wouldn't want you to forget about me!" She winked at him, itching to get a reaction out of him.

He laughed slightly, "I would never, Momo."

Momo, not expecting that, replied in a teasing tone, "Oh? You don't think so?"

He looked her in the eye and rather seriously said, "I wouldn't."

Momo's heart clenched, unsure of what he meant, but altogether happy.

* * *

Looking around, Rito thought of Momo and all that she was.

Perhaps… a live, white flower in a pot. A rose.

He found one he liked, gave it a small sniff, and moved on.

As he wandered the store, he came across some clear, crystal globes.

* * *

_~ Run ~_

She usually loved her job. It fit her and her ambitions quite well. But right now, she absolutely could do without it. What kind of director chooses to film early Valentine's Day morning?

"Excuse me, could you please drive a little faster?" she urged her driver frantically.

"Yes, Jewelria-sama, I shall do my best," he curtly responded before accelerating a little.

Sitting back, she huffed and tried to calm herself down. No amount of worrying would make the car go any faster. She looked down to her left at the little wrapped box. So much effort over a little box of chocolate. She imagined his smile and knew it was worth it, but she couldn't help but fret.

After a few more minutes, her driver snapped her out of her daydreaming, "Jewelria-sama, we are here."

"Ah, thank you! I'll call you when I need to be picked up," she responded before scurrying out of the car. She checked her watch. It was just about the end of the school day, and she hoped that he hadn't quite left yet. She made a dash for where she expected him to be, also hopeful that he was alone.

As if it was meant to be, she found him exactly where she expected, doing exactly what she expected him to be doing. He was at his locker, grabbing his shoes to go home.

"Rito-kun!"

He looked up at her, surprised. "Oh! Hi, Run!"

She panted, attempting to recover from the sprinting she just did.

Fixing her gaze on him, she walked closer before reaching into her handbag to retrieve her gift.

A blush rose in her cheeks, like she had never done this before, and she stuttered, "Thank goodness I caught you. I, um, w-wanted to give you something." So she held out the gift, avoiding eye contact.

He didn't even hesitate in taking it. "Thank you, Run! It looks lovely!" She was caught off guard when he gave her a quick hug. She returned as soon as she could, but it only lasted a moment before he began to pull away. She thought about holding him tight for just a little longer, but reasoned that she shouldn't push it too fiercely.

But in return, she got to see that for which she was looking. His smile.

Her blush deepened.

* * *

Looking around, Rito thought of Run and all that she was.

Perhaps… a crystal globe that, when looked at with the proper perspective, said something:

"_I see you there, among the stars._"

He polished it with the hem of his sleeve before feeling satisfied with it.

He wandered into a more exotic part of the store and looked around before something caught his eye.

'_Swords?_'

He carefully inspected the selection that they had, marveling at some of the white blades.

As he browsed, he came across some decorative accessories.

* * *

_~ Rin ~_

With an infuriated _woosh_, her blade slashed under his feet. '_Risky move_.' Jumping over a blade is usually a foolish move.

"Watch your footing," she shouted sternly.

She continued her assault, while he studiously watched her movements and defended. She was so focused on attacking, that she temporarily forgot what she had come to do. She found that his defensive drills unwound her substantially.

At some point, she took a step back and looked at him. He had a wary and calculating look in his eye that he only ever got in the midst of swordplay. His muscles were rigid in preparation for whatever she would next throw at him.

Lowering her sword, she smiled, "Nice work."

Loosening his muscles, he sighed, stood up straight, and wiped his brow. Now that Rin that nothing to distract her, she wondered when would be a good time.

Rito, taking the initiative, asked her, "Want to spar really quickly before we finish?"

Not one to back down from a challenge, she grinned, "Of course."

So they began to dance, sword meeting sword in a flurry of clanging. Meanwhile, Rin struggled to stay focused. And she knew exactly why. Her decision-making and reflexes were faltering at this point, so she decided to be pragmatic.

She leaped back a couple of yards and lowered her weapon.

"I feel like you have an unfair advantage."

Rito cocked his head, obviously surprised.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small cylindrical container. Sheathing her sword, she approached him. She basically shoved the thing into his hands before retreating.

Rito said after a moment, "Chocolate?"

Rin blushed a little bit and nodded.

Rito, filled with gratitude, said, "Thank you so much, sempai, but was this what was distracting you?"

With a sheepish smile, she nodded again.

Rito, now smirking at her, said, "Good, maybe I won't hold back now."

She looked him in the eyes, furiously accepting his challenge. Inwardly, she smiled. Finally, a partner she could be herself with. With him, she could let herself feel passionate about her craft. With him, she might feel forever content.

* * *

Looking around, Rito thought of Rin and all that she was.

Perhaps… a silvery embroidery for her sheath, both fierce and elegant.

Rito wandered around the store some more and came across the kitchen section.

* * *

_~ Mikan ~_

"Welcome home, Rito!" she called out.

Rito called back, "Thanks, Mikan! What are you up to?"

"Just making dinner. Come here for a second."

She bit her lip, wondering how she would word her question. He entered the room and briefly hugged her waist from behind. Her eyelids dropped for a split-second before he stepped away.

"What's up?"

She quickly set her cooking tools safely aside and turned to face him.

"So… did you get any chocolate today?"

Rito smiled at her curiosity, "I did! I'm so happy about it."

Mikan, not wanting to pry too far, asked him, "More than one?"

"Yep."

As she expected. He was a good boy. It was no wonder he would be recognized on Valentine's Day. Would he even still be interested in chocolate from his own sister?

She tentatively asked, "Think you've gotten enough chocolate for one day?"

Rito opened his mouth to speak, but something seemed to click, so he stopped and looked her directly in the eye.

She looked away, knowing that he knew what her issue was. Really, it shouldn't have been an issue. She felt a little bit ridiculous because she let this tiny piece of anxiety and insecurity grow so much.

"No, definitely not."

She looked back up at him, and he was smiled knowingly at her. So she did what she should've done when he first came in the door. Carefully pulling it out from a nearby drawer, she handed it to him.

"Thank you, Mikan. I love it," he said, tenderly.

He continued softly, "Mikan, you are my one and only little sister, and your chocolate will always be special to me, no matter who else gives me some. I look forward to your chocolate every single year."

Her heart warmed at his words, and she hugged him, fully reassured.

* * *

Looking around, Rito thought of Mikan and all that she was.

Perhaps… a pure white pan that she had been asking for, with gold filigree on the handle.

He smiled at it and brushed off some dust.

He shortly found himself in the biggest section of the store at this time. He could stick out his hand in any direction and easily pick up a piece of white chocolate.

* * *

_~ Risa ~_

"Yuuki!" they shouted. As per the usual, she and Mio had made little nuggets of chocolate that they could give out to the males in their classroom.

When they finally got to Rito, Risa couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Mio took the initiative and held out the little pouch, "Here you go, Yuuki! Take one!"

Rito, grinning, exclaimed, "Momioka, Sawada, thank you!" He was about to take one, when Risa stopped him.

"Wait! Here, take this one," she reached into the pouch and let a little piece fall out of her sleeve, out of sight from anyone. A genius plan, if she could say so herself. Grasping the small piece, wrapped in the same foil as the others, she pulled it out and gave it to him.

Mio looked confused for a moment before shrugging.

Rito said, "Oh! Um, thanks!" Clearly, he was wondering what that was all about.

When Mio had moved on to find someone else, Risa caught his eye and mouthed, "Open it," before she winked and moved on.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, her heart beating slightly faster. He opened it and found that it was substantially more ornate and delicious-looking than the other that were being given out. It even had a little white heart on the top.

Rito looked up at her, a little bit red, and the sight was just so adorable, that Risa let out a small giggle.

She turned, letting herself smile. She had often come to the conclusion that he was just her type.

* * *

Looking around, Rito thought of Risa and all that she was.

Perhaps… a set of assorted white chocolates that he would give her once a week until they were gone.

He glanced around him, looking at the homemade chocolate kits.

* * *

_~ Haruna ~_

Last time, she had given him chocolate jointly with Lala. But not this time. This time, it would be her very own chocolate.

This time, however, it would be far more frightening, and she knew it. Her stomach flopped whenever she saw him. In this particular case, she was afraid it might dishevel everything up to her throat, and then she'd be unable to speak.

As scared as she was of giving it to him, she surprisingly wasn't too scared by the thought of approaching him.

So she did.

"Yuuki-kun!" She caught him on the stairs.

He turned around and found her. "Sairenji? What's the matter?"

"I wanted to give you some Valentine's Day chocolate!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wondered if maybe that was too direct. Certainly not something you'd see in a romance movie.

She was so stuck on the prosaic manner in which she delivered her news, that she altogether forgot to reach into her pocket to give it to him.

"Eh? Really? S-Sairenji, I'm so happy that you wanted to! But what happened?"

Her mind blanked, "What happened to what?"

"Um, the chocolate?"

Her eyes widened, and she reddened. Now she understood. She mentally smacked herself for being so airheaded.

"Ah! Um, uh, here!" she fetched the chocolate from her book bag.

Rito, also beginning to piece together their misunderstanding, exclaimed, "Oh! Thank you so much, Sairenji. I love it."

She blushed and smiled at his enthusiasm, but she felt like they were at a stand-still. Not today, but soon, she felt the need to boldly state her interest in him. The winds of time were roaming on, and the world was still spinning while she struggled with telling him. She loved doing this last year, and it was equally as fulfilling this year, but she felt that something needed to change soon. She just hoped she now had the courage to begin the change.

* * *

Looking around, Rito thought of Haruna and all that she was.

Perhaps… a recipe. A white-themed recipe, that one day, he would cook with her. He blushed at the idea.

He was just beginning to wander out of the chocolate section when he stop, something catching his eye. Little animal themed chocolates.

* * *

_~ Yui ~_

"Good morning, Yui!" her cheeky brother exclaimed. She jumped, not even having made it past her bedroom door yet.

"Gosh! What are you doing? It's too early for this!" she huffed at him.

"It's Valentine's Day! I'm just here to encourage you," he winked at her.

Yui flushed just a little and sighed.

"Well, I made it, so I can't go back now! Don't worry about it! It's not your problem."

Yuu chuckled, "Hey, you're my cute little sister. It's on me as your big brother to make sure you succeed in your love life." He smirked at the redness on her face.

Yui mumbled, "What are you saying, love life? It's not like that yet…"

"You said 'yet'."

She jerked her head at him, about to retort, but he interrupted.

"Just make sure you give it to him. He'll love it," he smiled knowingly at her.

Digressing from her arguing, she nodded faintly before he turned and went back to his room.

As per the year before, she went very nearly the entire school day before she found the courage to give it to him. They were closer than they had ever been before, and still, it was just as difficult to give him the work of her hands.

Maybe it was because it was different this time.

"Rito, want to walk part of the way home together?"

He looked at her from over his shoulder. "Oh, hi, Yui! Sure, I'd love to."

So they walked, chatted idly about their current lives. She found out that he had been learning to fight with Rin, and that he was teaching Aya to play soccer. He found out that her movement to adjust the rules was gaining traction.

They reached the point in their walk where they usually split ways.

"Alright, well, it was nice walking with you, Yui!" he made his move to part from her.

"Wait!"

He turned with a startled look on his face. "Yes?"

Yui reached into her bag to fetch the treat and held it out to him. "I made you this." Her heart was thumping out of her chest.

Rito took it, grazing her soft hands with his rougher ones, and looked at the container. It was laced with red, and made of a soft velvet.

"You… made it?" he asked quietly, but with a smile.

She bit her lip and nodded.

"Wow, Yui, thank you so much! Homemade chocolate! This really means a lot to me." He paused. "Especially coming from you."

Her heart settled a bit, but her stomach fluttered. It was definitely different this time. Last time, it was a cat from her to him. This time, it was a heart, from her to him.

* * *

Looking around, Rito thought of Yui and all that she was.

Perhaps… a kit for some white, fluffy treats, shaped like kittens, but surrounded by hearts, this time from him to her.

He truly would never have expected a close friendship to evolve between her and him. He was altogether glad they could make that step.

Rito finally moved away from the chocolate towards the cashiers. He made his purchases, contented with his selections, and journeyed home.

When he got home, he quietly sneaked off into his room to hide the goods. He opened the closet and quickly set the gifts within, and he looked up to see something he'd hid previously.

* * *

_~ Lala ~_

"Rito?"

Turning around, he went to the living room to see what the matter was. She sounded concerned, or perhaps pensive. As he walked into her vicinity, she quickly grabbed the remote and snapped the TV off. Now, he was interested. She just turned off her favorite show to face him.

Quietly and gracefully, she stood to face him, perhaps a couple feet from where he stood. He could still smell the gentle fragrance she usually emitted after her showers.

Fixing him with a staunch gaze, she said softly, "Rito, I love you. More than I do anyone else. Do you remember the last time I told you this?"

Rito, taken aback, reddened tremendously. But of course he remembered.

"Of course, I remember, Lala," he muttered, his eyes on the floor.

When he finally mustered the courage to look back up, he saw her smiling again, the smile she rarely gave anyone else.

In a tone more reminiscent of her usual enthusiasm, she said, "I'm glad. I do too! Do you remember what you said?"

Of course he remembered.

"I said I loved you as well."

Even happier, she exclaimed, "I know!" After a moment, she calmed down and asked, "Is that still true?"

Rito sucked in a breath. His heart began beating like a drum. He knew he did. No matter how he tried to ignore it, to preserve his continued partiality to Haruna, he was reminded on a daily basis of exactly how easy it was for Lala to make him feel. And yet he still felt conflicted. The flutter he usually got around Haruna wasn't the pure warmth and exquisite contentedness that Lala gave him, but it was still something, right? He wasn't sure he could convince himself.

Nevertheless, Lala's question still remained, and he had to answer as truthfully as he could.

It came out as a whisper, "Yes."

Lala's eyelids fell halfway across her eyes for a split second, before she refocused on him, obviously happier than ever.

"So what does that mean?" she inquired hopefully.

Rito looked her in the eyes for as long as he could, "It means, I'm struggling, Lala. You know about Sairenji. I still feel torn. I really wish I could offer myself to you. But as I am, I don't think I can feel good about it until my feelings are for you and you only."

Lala looked down and nodded. "Rito, if that time ever comes, I'll be ready."

This, he already knew, and it made him quite happy.

Before he could respond, she held out a small box. "Happy Valentine's Day, Rito!"

He accepted it gratefully, "Lala! Thank you so much!"

"Open it."

Surprised, Rito looked up at her. She was indeed bold.

Cautiously, he opened the box. Inside, there was a metal watch, with small bronze jewels around the face.

"Wow, Lala, I don't know what to say. I was expecting chocolate," he exclaimed humbly.

Lala looked down, smiling faintly, "But I love you."

He moved to hug her. Rito understood, completely overwhelmed and convinced.

* * *

Looking ahead, Rito thought of Lala and all that she was.

For her, a necklace with a white-jeweled, heart-shaped centerpiece. He looked at his watch, smiling as it glowed in glee at being so close to the necklace. The center jewel at the heart of the necklace responded in kind, desperately shining for the jewels in the watch. Mikado had helped him acquire Dyadic Stones, jewels that mated for life and glowed when with their mates. Jewels that were now housed within their gifts to each other.

* * *

**A late homage to the most recent love-holiday!**

**For those who are unfamiliar, in Japanese culture, girls give gifts to guys on Valentine's Day, but there is also a day a little later in the year called White Day, when the men are called to return the gestures given to them by females on the previous Valentine's Day. **

**There was a reference in this piece to a lost series of TLR fanfiction. Did you catch it?**

**Go ahead and drop a review if it suits you!**


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